What about to add trading contract what can be do with other colonies for metal medkits and etc.
Dnico might i advice you to use Your cheapest ideas (http://ludeon.com/forums/index.php?topic=174.0) topic.
Its the topic used for smaller ideas.
Please try and make a new topic for bigger ideas and put in some more details/info.
It might also be noted that there shouldn't be any other colony around.
The starting point of the game is that you crash-land on an unknown planet, with no knowledge of the surroundings, and you have to survive.
The only contacts you have are with angry raiders and some trading ships that just come close "your" planet...
I'm not saying that having other civilized colonies or somesuch will not be in potential future modules, but for the time being there's just you.
I sort of like this idea. you make a deal with a passing ship to give them so much business per ... unit of time. (month? whatever) After some time they give you a discount or carry special items, or maybe you can request a large amount of metal or food (more than they would usually carry). But if you break the contract and dont have the required foodstuffs/metal to trade, they ruin your reputation with other trading vessels so that they come by less frequently, or jack up the prices. Maybe they let pirates in the area know that your colony is there in retribution.